THE POWER OF PRAISE
The key to victorious living
Years ago Abba spoke to me: “Praise is the confession of faith”. Whatever you REALLY believe comes out in your words and actions. Faith means acting on what He has said to you personally, from His Word, and to your spirit directly-- with firm belief that what He has said, He is well able to do!
Genesis 24: Abraham sends out his trusted servant-friend to find a bride for Isaac. The servant has questions as to probabilities – what if I find no bride? Should I take Isaac back to your family so that he can find a bride? Abraham told the servant emphatically “NO”--do not take my son back to Aram (Syria) – for Yahuweh has made a covenant with me and with him for THIS LAND … the land of that became known as Israel. Abraham based his decision on the covenant with Yahuweh! We must base all our decisions on what He has said, not on soulish fears, emotions, probabilities, or maybes! When the servant reached the home of Abraham’s brothers, he related what Abraham said: “But he said to me, `Yahuweh, before whom I walk, sends His angel with you and shall prosper your way. And you shall take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house”. This is true faith – declaring beforehand what WILL be because of what He has said. This is true understanding of “covenant”.
From the Tehillim (Psalms) 32:9: “I will educate you and enlighten you in the proper path to travel; I will advise you with what I HAVE seen”.
When we boldly proclaim what He has seen for us, then it comes to pass. But, Abraham’s servant did not wait for the conclusion of the matter before He praised Yahuweh. Genesis 24:26-27: “And the man bowed his head and worshipped Yahuweh. And he said: `Blessed be Yahuweh Elohim of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His kindness and His truth toward my Master. As for me, I, being in the way, Yahuweh led me to the house of my master’s brothers’ ”. Absolutely powerful!
As he went, Abba Yahuweh led him. If he had whined, analyzed, and stayed in Abraham’s tent, scared to go out lest he fail, he would never have found Rebecca (Ribqah). Romans 4:16-22 with Genesis 15:6 regarding Abraham: “And he believed in Yahuweh and He reckoned it to him for righteousness”.
Faith believes with without corresponding actions, otherwise it is dead (Ya’cob 2:14-26).
Faith that is genuine, acts, declares, and praises Yahuweh BEFORE the final conclusion. This is faith principle #1 – to boldly go forth in praise and action based on what He has already said!!! The confession of praise before seeing the end result is sure proof that faith is genuine.
We are facing some very powerful forces of evil in our world today, which are only going to get worse before Messiah comes. Unless one is well trained in
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spiritual warfare, and has experience in boldly coming against principalities and powers backed 100% by Yahuweh’s authority, protected by His angelic friends, they have no business getting into spiritual warfare. This is the time of the Gideon 300 – this end-time battle is for real soldiers, trained and disciplined in obedience to the “Captain of the Host”. (Refer to the article: “Gideon’s 300” and see how Yahuweh picks His servant-soldiers) Those who will endure and overcome in the days ahead know how to walk by real faith and dependency, as a little child, on Abba Yahuweh and Messiah Yahushua, our Master.
There are “weapons of our warfare that are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds” (II Corinthians 10:3-6), but unless one is well versed in using them, they won’t do any good when facing “Anakim”. (Please refer to the article: “Facing the Anakim”) He is training warriors in discipline and hardship, and few want to submit to that.
II Corinthians 10:5b-6: “…taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Messiah, and being ready to punish all disobedience, when your obedience is complete”. Few discipline their soul (mind, reasoning, feelings, emotions and will, that contacts the world around us by our five senses--seat of the sin nature—“flesh”). So, few are ready to enter in on His judgment on the wicked.
Only those trained and backed with His authority, whom He has grown to trust by interaction, experience, testing, and endurance, should do any type of spiritual warfare that engages the enemy to battle. Yahuweh reduced Gideon’s volunteer army from 32,000 down to 300, eliminating those who would be a detriment in the war. An untrained soldier on the battle field can cause the deaths of many – for they do not know how to act in absolute obedience to their commanding officer, and so go off on their own to battle an enemy too big for them.
But, there is one thing all of His children can do boldly to silence the enemy–something the enemy always flees from: Praise Yahuweh!
USING HIS NAME AND HIS WORD IN PRAISE is the most powerful of all the weapons of our warfare! All of us can stand in the face of crushing blows from the enemy and declare: “Yahuweh reigns!” We can all declare from Isaiah chapters 40-45: “I am Yahuweh, and besides Me there is no other god”. We can all declare the powerful Psalms. We can all declare His might in creation. We can all declare Yahushua’s right to sit on the throne in Jerusalem. We can all declare His right to rule the universe and all that is in it. We can all declare the coming of Messiah and of Yahuweh, to rule ad reign over the earth! We can all praise Messiah for His salvation. The enemy will run from that!
It is when we submit our minds to his manipulation, and get into whining, complaining, fear, anxiety, stress, worry, and negative thoughts, that the enemy has an open door to slither through. If we take the Psalms and just declare
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them, the Spirit of Yahuweh will rise within us, and victory will enter our soul. I use Psalm 96, 97, 98, 99 and 100 in declaration of His coming to rule and reign over the nations of the earth in power and esteem.
I also use Revelation 11:15 a lot – “The kingdoms of this world HAVE become the kingdoms of Yahuweh and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever”! HalleluYah!
Abba Yahuweh uses faith – faith in what He has said. Everything He does is from faith in response to the words out of His mouth. (Isaiah 55:8-11): “…My Word that goes out of My mouth—it does not return to Me empty, but shall do what I please, and shall certainly accomplish what I sent it for”!
Read carefully Mark 11:20-26, Messiah used faith to declare, and to see it done! When we speak in faith without wavering, because we are speaking what He has put in our spirit, not our own will, then we are assured of having what we say. I John 5:14-15: “And this is the boldness that we have in Him, that if we ask whatever according to His desire, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him”. Praise reinforces our faith!
Just because the “name and claim it—blab it and garb it” bunch misuses this powerful faith principle for selfish reasons, doesn’t mean we can’t use it for His purposes! “The just shall live by faith” is the basic principle of the whole Word, for “without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him”. Faith is best demonstrated in action accompanied by praise!
Spiritual warfare is not yelling your will at the devil! It is standing in bold faith and declaring out of your mouth “Thus says Yahuweh…” with His authority-backing, and what you declare will come to pass! He has to come to the place where He can trust us – based on relationship. Abraham’s servant was his dearest friend. He had given him rule over all of his house business. Abraham trusted him because the servant proved himself faithful. Messiah talks a lot about faithful and unfaithful servants and the rewards of each.
Read II Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat and his few soldiers whipped an army much greater than their own by singing praises to Yahuweh. Praising Yahuweh confuses the enemy to the point where he turns on himself.
From II Chronicles 20:14-17: “And the Spirit of Yahuweh came upon Yahazi’el…and he said, `Listen all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and Sovereign Jehosphaphat! Thus says Yahuweh to you: `DO NOT FEAR, NOR BE AFRAID OF THE FACE OF THIS GREAT ARMY, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT ELOHIM’S…IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO FIGHT IN THIS. POSITION YOURSELVES, STAND STILL AND SEE THE DELIVERANCE OF YAHUWEH WITH YOU’…DO NOT BE AFRAID NOR FEAR, GO OUT AGAINST THEM TOMORROW, FOR YAHUWEH IS WITH YOU’ ”.
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In obedience to what the prophet said, verses 21-22: “And after consulting with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed those who should sing to Yahuweh, and who should praise the splendor of set-apartness, as they went out before the army and were saying `Give thanks to Yahuweh for His kindness is everlasting’. And when they began singing and praising, Yahuweh set ambushes against the children of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were smitten”.
How to win the battle—PRAISE YAHUWEH!
To praise Yahuweh is mind boggling to Lucifer, who was the chief angel in charge of praising Yahuweh—until he turned bad and had to be fired from his
job.
Using the Psalms make up your own songs. The words have to come out of your mouth – not from a DVD. The best spiritual warfare is your declaring and proclaiming His victory. Then you hear your own voice, and your spirit is excited, and your mind is lifted, and you feel victorious and joyful. It lifts you up from the depths of gloom, and defeats the gloom-producer himself. When you praise – your faith is raised and proclaimed.
Praise should be a lifestyle. Children who are praised for doing well are encouraged to do better. That is true of adults. We need to watch what we say –
to make sure that no Lucifer-based negativity, like fear or self-righteousness, criticism or judgment, comes from our lips.
Here is a dream sent from a friend after reading my article: “Wind Blown Wind Dancer”…
This made me think of a dream I had a year or so ago. I was lying on the side of a hill with my hands behind my head and my feet crossed, just gazing at the sky.I started saying, Thank you Father, Thank you Father, you are so good, you are worthy to be praised. As I said these things, I began to float off the ground. I was shocked and stopped praising and came back down to the ground. So, I started praising Him again and when Idid I began to float up into the air again.This went on for days, and the more I praised Him the higher I could go…I practiced praising Him each day, and I got to the point I could control where I floated to.I kept looking down at Christians working sooooo hard with their heads looking down and their jaws clenched in their work, and I kept saying, 'Look up, praise Him"…They wouldn't hear me. That dream has stayed with me. I am learning to praise Him in all ways, learning to float on His Wind.
How lovely! Praise takes us out of the realm of the chicken yard, and into the realm of the soaring eagle. Most Christians and Messianic people are working so
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hard to perform their religious duties--struggling with life in general. But, the one who knows how to praise Him is lifted up into heavenly places.
Ephesians 2:4-6: “But Elohim, who is rich in compassion, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us
alive together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Messiah Yahushua”.
Praise is the confession of faith, but also praise makes our faith rise to new heights, so that we soar like an eagle!
Begin today to enter into a lifestyle of praise. As you go forth to obey the Master, praise will open new doors of victory for you!
Shalom, joy and love,
Yedidah
March 26, 2010
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